Blooming Flowers
by Winter Oak
Summary: Ino and Sakura are paired on a mission to escort the daimyo's son to the Land of Honey. The mission sounds simple, but there is actually a lot more to what it sounds like.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Story is set in between time skip.

* * *

Past Memories

* * *

_Ignoring the yells behind her, Ino ran to her room and slammed the door behind her. Breathing heavily, the young girl leaned against the door, slowly sliding down to the soft, carpeted floor. Ino shakily hugged her knees and resisted the urge to burst into tears._

_"Ino?"_

_"Go away!" Ino shouted, bringing her knees closer to her body. The young girl trembled slightly as her mother knocked on the door again. _

_"Ino, what's wrong? Please let me in. We'll talk about it."_

_Ino shook her head furiously, her short blonde hair swaying from side to side. She didn't want to talk. She didn't want to see anybody. She didn't want to care._

_"I don't want to talk," she sniffled. Ino shut her eyes tightly. She promised herself that she wouldn't cry. She wasn't a person who cried often. Why was she crying now? The blonde hastily scrubbed her face, wiping away the shining tears on her cheek with the back of her hand._

_"Is it about Sakura?"_

_The blonde's eyes widened and filled up with tears. Ino's soft sniffles slowly grew and soon became large sobs. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as she buried her face in her hands. She barely even noticed when the door slowly shifted open and her mother walked in. Warm arms enveloped Ino's small shaking frame. _

_"It's okay," her mother murmured, stroking Ino's silky, blonde hair. _

_"Sakura b-broke our f-friendship," Ino sobbed, finally giving in to her tears. "She f-found out t-that I l-liked Sasuke and…"_

_"Shh… it's okay."_

_"I told her e-everything about me-e," Ino continued as she clutched tightly on to the fabric of her mother's sweater.. "I-I d-defended her and taught h-her everything I knew."_

_Ino bit down on her lip as she tried to prevent herself from crying any further. Sakura wasn't worth it, she said to herself though unconvincingly. Sakura was ugly. She was weak and cried all the time. Ino wiped away the tears on her cheek and gazed down at the blue carpet. But… she didn't think of Sakura like that. She knew that Sakura was a beautiful person and with time and encouragement, would bloom into a beautiful woman. Ino seemed uncertain for a moment but the memory of Sakura walking away from her aided Ino in her decision. She wiped away the thoughts of the Sakura she knew as her friend from her mind. If she wanted to become rivals, then Ino would do her best to defeat her. _

_"I won't lose to Sakura," Ino said forcibly, her turquoise eyes shimmering with determination. Ino closed her hand to form a fist. "If Sakura wants to fight over Sasuke, then I will do my best to defeat her." _

_

* * *

_

_Ino strode confidently through the park, searching for Sasuke. Sakura had no chance against her. After "borrowing" her mother's make-up and hours of sitting in front of the mirror, applying everything on to her face, she was sure Sasuke wouldn't be able to resist her. Images of Sasuke clinging to her arm appeared in Ino's naïve mind. _

_As Ino passed by the playground she heard the familiar sound of Sakura's voice. The pink haired girl sat in between a group of friends –actually, Ino's friends—talking and laughing. Ino's hand closed to form a small fist. _

_Marching over to the group, Ino smirked and stood over Sakura, showing off her make-up. "What are you doing hanging out with my friends crybaby?"_

_The pink haired girl gazed up at Ino with a surprised expression on her face. Her face hardened and Sakura rose to her feet. "What do you want Ino-pig?"_

_Ino's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you just call me?"_

_Sakura smirked, pleased that she had hit a nerve. _

_"I said, Ino-pig," Sakura repeated, pronouncing each syllable clearly. _

_"Sakura, do you even know what you are saying?" Ino yelled. _

_Sakura glared stubbornly at Ino. "I do."_

_Not able to look at Sakura directly in the face, Ino stormed away, not looking back once. She had come to the park in such a great mood. How could Sakura be so cruel to her? The other girl hadn't even flinched when she had called her a pig. Ino breathed heavily and broke in to a run. Once she was far enough away from Sakura, Ino hid behind a tree and burst into tears._

_

* * *

_

_Ino watches as Sakura present her Ikebana arrangement to the class. How much Sakura remembered from what she had taught the pink haired girl impressed the blonde. A small sense of pride mixed with sadness travels through Ino as she gazes over at Sakura. Sakura raised her head and gazed at Ino with a smirk on her face._

_The blonde ninja in training raises an eyebrow and gazed condescendingly at Sakura. Sakura has changed and no matter how much Ino wanted to deny it, Sakura was blooming into a beautiful flower right before her eyes. The old Sakura wouldn't have been able to tolerate her taunts about her large forehead or confidently present such a beautiful flower arrangement in front of the class. _

_Ino didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Gazing down at her own flower arrangement, Ino caressed the cosmos sadly with her finger. _

_

* * *

_

_"I'm on the same team as Sasuke."_

_"Why say it again?" _

_"I won't lose to you anymore, Ino."_

_"I won't lose to you in everything," Ino replied. She watched, slightly confused as Sakura reached behind her and drew out an object. Ino wavered as she recognized the object as the first gift she had given Sakura. "The ribbon?"_

_"I'll give this ribbon back to you."_

_Ino furrowed her brow. The ribbon was her gift to Sakura when they first met. Why did Sakura want to give this back to her? In place of where the ribbon usually was, was the forehead protector that Sakura had received upon graduation. Ino felt her heart tug painfully but didn't let it show. Putting a smirk on her face, Ino raised an eyebrow and said, "I gave that ribbon to you. And you're supposed to put that forehead protector on your head."_

_"I'm no longer the girl that has been chasing you," Sakura stated. "When I put this forehead protector on, I can't lose to you as a female ninja."_

_Ino gazed at Sakura, trying to decipher the meaning of Sakura's words. The blonde gazed down at the ribbon waving in Sakura's hand. A smile formed on her lips as Ino understood what Sakura was telling her. Ino gazed somewhat proudly at the girl. Sakura was growing up not only to be a strong woman but a strong ninja as well. Ino was happy for her old friend yet she felt sadness as well. _

_Reaching forward, the ninja accepted the ribbon. _

_"A good idea. I'll do the same when the time comes."_

_

* * *

_

_Ino gazed at the unconscious ninja by her side. She couldn't believe she had tied with Sakura out of all people. She had been too confident when entering the battle and too careless. All these years, she had still thought of Sakura as her old friend, someone who had great potential but was unable to use it. Sakura had proved her wrong. They were equals now. Sakura had blossomed into a person that was as strong as her. Ino was proud of her old friend but disappointed in herself. _

_Sakura shifted and slowly opened her eyes. The pink haired girl asked in a dejected voice if she had lost. Ino shook her head and replied that she should be the one wanting to cry because they had tied. The blonde admitted to Sakura that she had finally bloomed into a flower._

_A look of shock and pleasure passed over Sakura's face. Ino could tell that Sakura had been waiting to hear these words for a long time. From that day on, it seemed that they started a new, though rather unstable friendship. Both of them still chased after Sasuke, but they had reached an understanding that they were equal and didn't need to prove anything to one another._

_

* * *

_

Ino nibbled on the energy bar absently as she watched over the camp. Her eyes fell over the young man she and Sakura were guarding. The man lay quietly in his sleeping bag, breathing regularly as he slept. His cinnamon brown hair fell over his face as he snored, rising and falling with his breath. Sakura lay against a tree beside the man, her eyes closed and breathing quietly. Her short pink hair fluttered wildly as the wind twisted around the campsite they had made.

Stretching her limbs, Ino stood up and walked over to Sakura, placing a blanket over the pink-haired woman's body. Rubbing her arms, Ino looked warily around the clearing. The trees swayed gently in the night breeze and only the occasional sound of scampering forest animals interrupted the quiet night.

Stepping lightly to the young man they were protecting, Ino bit her lip. She went over the mission in her head. Escort the son of the daimyo of the Land of Honey back home and return home as quickly as possible. It shouldn't be too hard if she was careful.

A branch snapped from behind Ino, and the blonde spun around, a kunai ready in her hand. Moments passed and a bunny stuck its head out from the bushes and hopped past. Ino relaxed and put her kunai down.

"Look at what we've caught."

Ino stiffened as she felt a cool blade press against her neck. Another hand held onto Ino's wrists, preventing her from reaching her kunais. Everything happened so quickly that Ino barely realized what was happening until both her wrists were constrained and a kunai was pressed against her neck.

"Don't even think of screaming," he murmured into Ino's ear. He pressed the knife closer to Ino's skin for good measure. The blonde regained her composure and narrowed her eyes, cursing herself for being subdued so easily.

"What do you want?" hissed the woman.

"Money," the man breathed, causing Ino to wrinkle her nose at the putrid stench. Gazing down at the grimy hands holding the blade, Ino figured that the attacker was a rogue ninja that had come across their camp. Ino felt a wave of disgust pass over her as the man breathed on her neck. "Hand over all your money."

Part of Ino was relieved that the person had not realized that they were escorting the son of the daimyo yet she still didn't like her situation any better. The best thing she could do was to agree and find a chance to turn the tables on the attacker. Rogue ninja often were unorganized and weak. If she didn't have a knife pressed against her neck, she would definitely be able to kick their sorry behinds out of their camp. She couldn't let them have the money. They needed the money for the rest of their journey and were too far from Konohagakure to turn back to get more.

"Alright," Ino agreed reluctantly, her voice laced with venom.

"No tricks," the thief warned, pushing Ino forward. He still held the knife against her neck as they walked towards her knapsack. Ino was about to reach into the pouch in her knapsack with extra kunais when someone grabbed the bag.

"Looks like you've found a good load," a new voice said.

Ino gazed up to find two more men had arrived at the camp. The two new arrivers searched through Ino's knapsack, tossing out some of her belongings. As a pair of underwear flew past her face, Ino felt her blood boil. She was going to make them pay after she got out of this mess. Inner Ino screamed angrily at the thieves while throwing imaginary punched in their direction.

As if sensing her thoughts, the man behind Ino pressed the knife closer to Ino's skin. Gritting her teeth, the blonde kunoichi tried to think of a plan. Yet the sight of her belongings being handled by the group of grimy men distracted her greatly. Ino's eyes traveled to the two rogue ninja by her backpack waving her underwear around in the air and felt a vein in her forehead throb.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said from behind the thief.

Ino felt the thief release her as he spun around to face the kunoichi behind him. Ino smirked and quickly took out a kunai, spinning the weapon around her index finger as she quickly turned around, creating a small dust tornado. Turning her head, Ino saw the Sakura sleeping against the tree disappear in a puff of smoke. She turned to the real Sakura behind the ninja, crackling her knuckles.

"A clone."

Smirking evilly, Sakura punched the ninja that had been holding Ino captive, sending him flying into the bushes. The blonde ninja quickly ducked as the surprised man flew over her head. The other two thieves spun around and drew out their knives. Their eyes glinted maliciously as they gazed over at Sakura.

Smiling, Ino rose to her feet and stood beside Sakura. They were going to regret ever coming across their camp and going through her belongings. Nodding, both kunoichi charged forward at the same time, using charka to increase their speed.

Dodging a knife, Ino stepped to the side and aimed a punch at one of the attackers. The knife flew out of the man's hand and was caught by Ino as the man was sent flying into the bushes. Though it didn't have the force of Sakura's punches, Ino was still pleased with the result. Unfortunately, her punch was unable to knock him unconscious. Growling angrily, the man burst out from the bushes, calling up a jutsu which caused rocky spikes to blast out of the ground in front of Ino.

Surprised at the sudden attack, Ino was unable to dodge the rocks that rose in front of her. The blonde felt the boulder hit her stomach, pushing her backwards. Ino dug her heels into the ground, stopping her self from crashing in to the trees behind her. Gasping for breath, Ino collapsed onto the ground.

"If you think you can beat me with those skills," the man growled, "then you're pretty idiotic."

Pain still coursing through her body, Ino shakily pushed herself up on to her hands and knees. She needed to end this quickly. Ino quickly formed a rectangle with her fingers.

"What are you doing now?" he taunted, walking toward Ino, a smirk plastered on his face. He raised his hand holding the knife, lashing out at the helpless blonde. However half way through his attack, his arms stopped moving. The thief's eyes widened as he found that he could no longer control his own body.

"Shinraiju no jutsu succeeded," Ino smirked. Focusing on controlling the thief's body, she made the man slam himself into a tree, knocking himself out.

Releasing the hand seal, Ino slowly rose to her feet and swept a few stray locks of hair back. She scolded herself for being so careless and getting hit by the rogue ninja so easily as she gingerly touched the giant bruise she had gotten. Turning around, she found Sakura had already disposed of the thief that was fighting with her.

"That'll teach them to mess with us," Sakura said grumpily as she wiped her hands. Ino scowled, seeing that Sakura didn't have a hair out of place after all that fighting.

Breathing deeply and ignoring the pain in her abdominal area, Ino leaned against a tree and asked what Sakura wanted to do with the bodies. They decided just to tie them to a tree trunk and leave the thieves there until someone found them. Sakura did most of the work, while Ino glared disdainfully at the unconscious thieves, claiming she didn't want to touch them.

* * *

Picking up her belongings, Ino rubbed the bruise on her stomach and complained about the mission overall. She didn't want to go on this particular mission; in fact, she was totally opposed to going on this mission. It was Tsunade's threat of sending her back to the academy that had forced Ino to go on this mission. So far, there didn't seem to be any reason for Ino to like the mission more that before.

"Ino-pig, hurry up! We have to go!"

"If you would help me pick up my stuff, we could leave sooner!" Ino shouted back. Scanning the clearing, Ino tried to find the bottle of shampoo that was missing.

"What are you looking for?" Sakura asked as she kneeled down beside Ino.

"My shampoo."

"Honestly Ino," Sakura cried, exasperated. "Just leave it."

"What? I can't leave it—"

"I'll buy you a new one when we get home then," Sakura said, grabbing Ino and dragging the blonde away from the campsite. The daimyo's son stood by a tree, waiting patiently for the two kunoichi to continue with the journey.

Sighing, Ino gave in to Sakura's urging and continued grudgingly with the journey.

"Ino, what's your problem?" Sakura shouted after Ino's tenth complaint in half an hour.

"I just don't like this mission forehead girl!" Ino snapped back.

The client rolled his eyes but hid a smile behind his hand. The two kunoichi amused him greatly. He was sure they had a special relationship despite their arguing and yelling. The voices suddenly stopped, causing Kenji to frown.

"What—"

The young man was cut off as a knife came flying in his direction, missing his nose by the width of a hair. Ino and Sakura were instantly in front of him, their kunai out, and ready.

"Hand over the daimyo's son and no body will get hurt," a voice boomed, echoing around the clearing.

"Try and take him from us," Ino challenged.

Instantly, two-dozen thieves appeared in a circle around the three travelers.

"Damn it Ino! Why did you ask them to come out and attack us?" Sakura shouted.

"Shut up! I didn't know there would be so many thieves!"

"I suggest you stop arguing and spend more time paying attention to the enemy!" Kenji yelled.

Ino and Sakura stiffened, coming back to the situation at hand. The enemy had surrounded them at all sides, preventing any escape routes. In addition to being out numbered, they had to defend Kenji. Ino's grip on her kunai tightened, her turquoise eyes scanning the surrounding area. Thieves were better organized than rogue ninja. If they were organized well in great numbers, she and Sakura would be in trouble.

Sensing movement, Ino could tell Sakura was inching closer to Kenji, enabling her to grab him and drag him out of the fight as soon as it started. Howling loudly, the wind swept through the meadow, causing the grass around the group to sway. None of the two groups moved to attack. Ino's eyes swept back and forth, keeping an eye on the thieves lined behind her and Sakura.

Sakura's eyes caught Ino's turquoise orbs. They would run for it. Ino nodded, tensing her muscles, ready to jump. The thieves seemed to take that as a signal to attack; the men behind Ino charged forward, swiping at her back with their knives. Moving quickly, the blonde evaded all the attacks while leading the thieves after her away from Kenji.

Sakura had grabbed hold of Kenji and leaped over the thieves' heads and landed gracefully on to a nearby tree. Sakura caught sight of a dozen more thieves surrounding the area with arrows drawn onto bows. The kunoichi realized that they wouldn't be able to run for it unless they wanted to be shot down by arrows. She was sure that they would not shoot if they didn't try to run though. That brought the risk of injuring the person they wanted and their own people. Sure that her client wasn't going to fall off the tree and kill himself, Sakura jumped back down to help Ino and intercept the thieves running towards the tree Kenji was on.

Seeing that Sakura was being outnumbered badly, Ino fought her way to the pink haired kunoichi. The men pressed forward, trying to pass the two female ninja and reach the daimyo's son. Ino panted heavily as she found herself back to back with Sakura. Sweat trickled down her forehead and scratches littered her body. She had managed to knock out five thieves but it seemed that there were as many thieves as they had started with.

"Ino, I think the leader is the one with the red headband," Sakura said, nodding towards a man watching from the side as she slammed her fist into the ground, causing the men around them to back away. "Use your jutsu to take control of his body."

"I—I don't think I can reach him from this far away," Ino said as she swiped at a man with her kunai.

"I'm quite sure you can reach him," Sakura argued. She threw several shuriken forward, hitting a few thieves.

"What if he moves? Shikamaru isn't here to hold him."

"We have no choice! They have us surrounded, we can't run away."

Ino hesitated, glancing back toward Kenji.

"Ino!"

"I can't," Ino yelled as she blocked a blade with her kunai. The blonde winced as she backed into the tree trunk Kenji was on. She gazed up at Kenji.

Leaping up on to the tree, Ino grabbed on to Kenji. They were going to run for it.

"Ino, they have the clearing surrounded!" Sakura shouted.

"We'll risk it," Ino yelled back as she threw a smoke bomb in front of her.

Sakura covered her mouth and backed away while cursing at Ino under her breath.

Ino landed softly on the ground with Kenji beside her. The two started to run for it. Arrows being released from around her could be heard. She glanced at Kenji, surprised that he was able to keep up with her pace.

"Can you run faster?" Ino asked, panting slightly.

The brown-haired man nodded and increased his pace. Ino quickly followed. A dozen arrows suddenly showered over the two. Ino skidded to a stop and swiped the arrows aside with her kunai.

"Go on without me," Ino directed. "Sakura will find you."

"What about you?"

"Just go, I'll catch up."

Kenji hesitated. Ino gasped as a dozen more arrows came pouring towards them. Without thinking, Ino pushed Kenji down. Spinning around, Ino swiped a couple of arrows away from their bodies, which fell useless by the kunoichi's side. The blonde gasped and staggered backwards as she felt an arrow pierce through the flesh of her left arm. The stream of arrows ceased for the moment and Ino took the opportunity to get out of harms way.

Ino pulled Kenji behind a tree while trying to not cry in pain. Breathing deeply, she tried to ignore the feeling of searing pain and the warm blood trickling down her arm. Ino leaned back against the tree and tried to focus on the sound of their enemies instead. Arrows began to rain down again. Ino heard a few solid thunks behind her where arrows had embedded themselves in the tree they were hiding behind. The stream of arrows stopped and Kenji rose on to his feet and look at the surroundings.

"There isn't anyone coming for us," Kenji announced. He hauled Ino on to her feet, careful not to bump into her injured arm. "Let's run for it."


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Trust

* * *

"If you had listened to me, you wouldn't be in this situation," Sakura said nonchalantly as she examined Ino's wound after she had stopped the bleeding. Sakura leaned back and grabbed her backpack from the corner of the cave they had found refuge in. As she pulled the bag to her side, she peered over the stalagmite they had hidden behind to check if the thieves had caught up. Seeing nothing, she gazed quietly across the rocky terrain, thankful that they had found this cave. Stalagmite thrust haphazardly out of the grimy cave floor across the area, providing them cover from the outside of the cave. Though it was not as clean as she preferred, with bat dropping littering the cave floor, Sakura decided it would have to do for now. 

Turning back to examine Ino, Sakura was also thankful that Ino's wound wasn't too deep and that she had been able to find her and Kenji before the enemy had. Though they had met a few misfortunes so far in this supposedly easy mission, luck hadn't been completely against them.

"Will she be okay?" Kenji asked, concern evident in his voice as he gazed at the pained expression of the blonde kunoichi leaning against the cave wall. Ino's eyes were closed tightly, with her pink lips set in a grimace.

"She'll be fine, she's suffered much worse than this before," Sakura answered calmly as she looked over the medical supplies she had. She rummaged through her backpack for a moment, retrieving some bandages. "Now hold still. I'm going to pull out the arrow. Pass me the water bottle Kenji."

Ino opened her eyes and tilted her head to the side to look at Sakura rummage through her supplies.

"You make it sound like it doesn't hurt," Ino complained.

"Could you go stand guard outside the cave for us, Kenji?" Sakura asked as she looked up from Ino.

The brown haired man nodded and got up from beside Ino. He stepped lightly toward the cave opening and leaned calmly against the cave wall, his eyes focused on the surrounding trees. Ino seemed to relax slightly once Kenji was out of view.

"Now that we're alone, do you want to tell me what is wrong?" Sakura asked, her emerald orbs peering intently at Ino. "You've been acting strange ever since the beginning of the mission."

"Nothing's wrong," Ino replied dryly.

"Do you not trust me?" Sakura asked angrily, her pink locks falling over her eyes as she spoke. "I would have taken care of your body if you had transferred your mind into the leader's as well as Shikamaru could have."

Ino closed her eyes at Sakura's words. She didn't mean for Sakura to think of it like that.

"That isn't the issue," Ino finally replied. Her soft blonde hair fell over her eyes as she spoke, hiding the uncertainty in her eyes.

Sakura didn't reply. Her lips were pressed tightly together as she gazed down at her medical supplies. She took a deep breath before talking again.

"Since we fought in the preliminary round for the third test in the Chunin exams, we came to an agreement that we were both equal as kunoichi and that we didn't need to prove anything to one another. Though we still fought over Sasuke, we started a new friendship…"

Ino examined the cave floor, wondering where this was leading.

"Actually," Sakura said in a strained voice. "I don't think we ever stopped being friends. You… looked out for me even after I said that we weren't friends anymore. But why is it that we can't regain the feeling we had back then when we were kids?"

The other kunoichi made no reply though she knew the answer.

Sakura's eyes saddened. "You do not trust me. At least, not as much as a regular friend should."

Ino pursed her lips.

_"Ino!" Sakura cried excitedly as she trotted up to her best friend. Her short pink hair bobbed cutely up and down in the wind, tied back carefully with a elegant red ribbon. Skidding to a stop in front of the blonde, Sakura panted softly, her hands on her knees. "What are we doing today?" _

_Ino eye's brightened up. "You'll see when we get there."_

_Taking Sakura's hands in her's, Ino led the way along a cobblestone path. _

_"Ino--" Sakura started unsurely._

_"It's a surprise. You'll see when we get there," the blonde replied with a bright smile. They made their way through a few bushes, which led to a heavily forested area. The blonde pushed a tree branch aside and motioned for Sakura to follow._

_"Oh, look it's forehead girl."_

_Ino and Sakura stopped and turned to face the blue haired girl responsible for the comment. Sakura bit her lip and hid behind Ino, while the blonde glared at Ami warningly._

_"I don't know why you protect her Ino," Ami said disdainfully. The girls behind her snickered loudly, causing Sakura to look even more dejected._

_Ino glanced back at Sakura, urging the girl to stand up for herself but Sakura merely looked down at the ground. _

_"By the way Ino, that was a really dirty trick you did on me yesterday during class. Sensei told us that the flowers weren't poisonous," Ami growled. "You don't want to make an enemy out of me." _

_Ino raised an eyebrow, looking confidently back at Ami. "I can do whatever I want." _

_Growling, Ami charged forward at Ino. The blonde haired girl dodged easily, pulling Sakura along with her._

_"Ami," Ino growled warningly. _

_Ino's eyes widened in surprise as the other girls unexpectedly grabbed her from behind. She tried to pull away but to no avail._

_"Hehe, Ino," Ami said, smirking evilly at Ino. "You're going to pay now." _

_Ino glared confidently up at Ami. The navy haired girl stepped over to Ino, wondering what to do with the girl. _

_"I could draw over your face with permanent marker," Ami mused as she glared down at Ino. "Or maybe we can cut your hair. Of course, if you had never befriended forehead girl, this wouldn't be happening, now would it? "_

_The blonde said nothing as Ami walked closer to her._

_"I mean, what use is she? Look at her, hiding behind a tree while you are being attacked," Ami snarled, pointing at Sakura. _

_The pink haired girl froze, gazing desperately from Ino to Ami. She didn't know what to do. Ino needed her help but she was too afraid to stand up against Ami. At this moment, Sakura desperately wished that she were more like Ino –confident, brave and strong. She wanted to be able to protect her friends yet all she was able to do was watch fearfully from the side._

_She could see Ami's grin widen at her helplessness. Sakura gazed down tearfully at the ground. Ami was right, she was a horrible friend and Ino deserved better._

_"You are wrong,"_

_Sakura raised her head, her eyes widening as she looked at her best friend. The blonde smiled coldly as she faced Ami. _

_"Sakura isn't as weak as you think she is."_

_The pink haired girl's eyes widened as Ino's words slowly formed in her mind. Ino had just said that she wasn't weak. Sakura looked over at Ino, glaring defiantly at Ami, seeing the person she admired, idolized and wanted to be. Ino… _

_The navy haired girl scowled angrily back at Ino. The pink haired girl hesitated for a moment before her eyes hardened and focused on Ami. She couldn't let Ino down. Her fingers dug in to the bark of the tree she was holding on to as she gazed over at Ami._

_"Ami!" _

_The navy haired girl spun around to find Sakura walk out from behind the tree with a determined look on her face. Ami strode over to Sakura and flicked her on the forehead "Looks like forehead girl has finally decided to come out."_

_"Leave Ino alone," Sakura demanded. _

_"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Ami challenged as she pushed Sakura. The pink haired girl stumbled backward, landing on the rough ground. The surrounding girls laughed cruelly. _

_Sakura pushed herself off the ground and on to her feet. Fiery emerald eyes met Ami's angry brown orbs. _

_"Oh… is the little cry baby angry?" Ami taunted as she walked towards Sakura._

_Eyes glinting angrily, Sakura punched Ami, sending the other girl stumbling into the bushes. Her fiery orbs turned to focus on the two girls latched on to Ino's limbs. Seeing what Sakura had done to Ami, the other two girls let go of Ino and ran to find their leader._

_After eyeing the backs of the girls disdainfully, Ino turned to Sakura and grinned widely.. "Wow, Sakura, you did okay back then."_

_Sakura stared at her fist, unsure of what had just happened. As realization dawned on her, Sakura's eyes widened in horror._

_"Ino, I just punched Ami," Sakura said shakily._

_"Mm…" _

_"I—" _

_"She deserved it Sakura. Don't worry about it," Ino interrupted. She gazed fiercely down at the cowering Sakura. "You should be proud that you just scared her away."_

_Sakura gazed down at the ground, smiling unsurely. Ino frowned, wanting to make Sakura realize the potential she had. Her eyes lit up as she remembered why they were in the middle of the forest in the first place._

_"Come on Sakura," Ino said as she ducked under a tree branch, heading deeper into the forest. "We better hurry unless you want to be late for dinner."_

_Sakura trotted after Ino, clumsily stumbling over tree roots every so often. The trees eventually thinned. She could see light filtering through the thick branches of the last row of trees. Smiling widely, Ino slipped behind a tree branch and disappeared. Sakura followed curious at what lay on the other side of the forest and gasped when she found a field full of flowers. A rainbow of flowers was laid across the field and even a few cherry blossom trees were found grouped together by a bench. _

_She treaded carefully through the field, not wanting to destroy any of the pretty blooms and settled comfortably by Ino on a bench under a cherry blossom tree. Not far in the distance, they could see two Konoha ninja training, their headbands glinting magnificently in the sunlight._

_"Whenever I feel unsure if I could become a successful female ninja, I come here for inspiration," Ino explained as she gazed off in to the distance._

_Sakura was surprised that Ino could doubt in herself. The blonde was the best female ninja in their class, excelling in all of her subjects. Ino was envied by all the female students in their class, yet she felt doubt about herself?_

_"I thought that it would be nice for you to come here once in a while with me as well," Ino grinned as she turned towards Sakura._

_"Ino," Sakura said softly. A question had been bugging her since they had left Ami. She gazed down at her hands, fiddling with a blade of grass. "Why did you try to purposely anger Ami? If you hadn't said anything, or if you had just said that I wasn't… your friend, then Ami wouldn't have threatened to hurt you."_

_Ino smiled and leaned back against the bench, her eyes shimmering as she gazed up at the sky. "Because I knew you would not let them hurt me."_

_Sakura's eyes widened and began to fill up with tears. How could Ino believe in her so much when she barely believed in herself? She brushed away her tears with the back of her hand, sniffling slightly_

_"Ino…"_

_"You're actually quite strong Sakura," Ino continued. "You just have to believe in yourself."_

Ino closed her turquoise eyes. She missed the friendship they had as well. She was the one holding back though. Perhaps she didn't want to risk getting hurt again by the pink haired girl. How Sakura managed to figure that out through her overly exaggerated acts of friendly was a puzzle to her. Ino turned away from Sakura, her eyes wandering to the ceiling of the cave, which was, decorated that stalactites. She didn't want to admit it to Sakura, but deep down inside she was scared. Scared of what might happen if she opened her heart to Sakura again.

* * *

The two kunoichi took turns standing guard overnight to make sure that the thieves did not found their hiding spot. After much discussion, Ino and Sakura decided that it would be best if they set off early, before the sun had risen. 

Ino leaned against the mouth of the cave casually, watching the dark mountains in the distance with her turquoise colored eyes. Dark clouds rolled ominously in the sky, casting dark shadows over the forest. The wind whirled through the clearing, causing Ino's bangs to flutter across her face. Pushing the lock of hair back with her bandaged arm, Ino turned back to see how the packing was progressing.

Sakura and Kenji were rolling up the sleeping bags and chatting softly. Sakura's pink lips were pressed together firmly and her emerald eyes were dim with worried, nevertheless she still forced a smile in Kenji's direction, assuring the man that everything would be fine. What worried Ino though, was that they were unsure of where the thieves were. If the thieves found them, they would not let them escape so easily again.

Ino's eyes returned to the outside of the cave, sweeping across the dim forested area. The trees rustled impatiently as the wind twisted around. An owl hooted from somewhere in the forest.

"Hurry up forehead girl," Ino growled impatiently. She wanted this mission to be over. She didn't want to be in the Land of Honey. She wanted to go home. Why couldn't she have these simple things?

"Alright, we're done packing," Sakura whispered as she appeared beside Ino. "We better hurry."

"How far are we from the city?" Ino asked.

"About a day's walk," Kenji replied as he too appeared beside Ino. His dark brown eyes scanned the dark cloudy sky. "It might take longer though, considering the weather."

Great. This mission seemed to be getting better and better. Ino opened her mouth to start another rant when she felt Sakura stiffen. She turned to look inquiringly at her friend and found herself being pulled roughly behind a large boulder.

Ino landed ungracefully beside Sakura, making a small sound of disproval but made no further complaint. She soon felt footsteps of many people vibrating in the ground. Ino bit her lip. Sakura bent over, pressing her ear against the ground, causing her pink locks to fall over her face. Ino saw Sakura's lips tighten. The blonde peered out from behind the weathered boulder.

"I think there are over fifty of them," Sakura said tensely.

Ino's head spun around quickly. Fifty? They couldn't possibly take on fifty thieves. She desperately wished that Shikamaru or anyone else were here. What could they do?

Kenji's brow furrowed with worry. "You would be able to take them on, wouldn't you?"

The blonde bit down hard on her lip. They needed to protect Kenji. She needed to keep calm in order to do that. Forcing her voice to stop shaking, she turned to Kenji and forced a smile on her face. "Of course. We promised to protect you didn't we?"

A nudge from her side caused Ino to turn around and look down at Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi pushed herself off the ground and turned to look at Ino with a serious expression on her face.

"Our only chance is if you use your special jutsu."

Ino bit her lip, gazing from Kenji to Sakura.

"Sakura… I—"

"What is it?" Sakura asked impatiently, sensing that Ino was going to refuse her request. Her emerald eyes burned angrily. "Why won't you use your special jutsu? I promise I would take care of you."

"That's not the issue Sakura!"

"Then tell me, what is it?" Sakura whispered fiercely, grabbing on to Ino's arm.

Ino looked away. Should she tell Sakura why she didn't want to accept this mission so badly? Could she trust her with such a secret? What if she accidentally told someone while they were in the Land of Honey? Then again, if she didn't they were going to die anyway.

"It's—"

"Lord Kenji!"

Kenji frowned lightly.

"I know that voice," he told Sakura and Ino as they turned to look inquiringly at Kenji. "It belongs to the captain of the guards."

"Lord Kenji!"

The young man rose to his feet before Ino or Sakura could protest.

"Nori!" Kenji called.

Leaves rustled as the persons stormed through the bushes in their direction. Ino rose to her feet hesitatingly. Sakura followed tensely. If it turned out to be a trap, they would grab Kenji and run as fast as they could.

A young man burst out from the bushes from the side of the rocks followed by a couple of heavily armed man. Turning to scan the clearing, his eyes landed on Kenji. Judging from the smile on Kenji's face, Ino decided that it was safe. The blonde relaxed, returning her kunai to her pouch as she slumped against the boulder.

"Thank goodness we found you," Nori exclaimed, walking towards Kenji. His shoulder length black hair flowed elegantly behind him as he moved. Dark lashes framed his deep gray eyes and his muscles rippled from beneath the cloth over his arms.

Ino felt herself blush softly as he approached Kenji. The young man bowed curtly to Kenji.

"We were on patrol and received news about a group of thieves in the area who were after you," he said softly. "So we set off to find you. I am glad that you are not harmed. Please allow us to escort you back to the city."

"Of course."

Nori straightened and nodded at Kenji.

"Let me introduce you to my companions. They have done a good job protecting me so far in the journey."

Kenji gestured toward Ino.

"This is Ino Yamanaka," Kenji introduced.

Ino stepped forward to shake Nori's hand. His hand was weathered but firm, Ino noticed. Drawing back her hand, Ino blushed softly. She looked up and met his dark eyes. The dark orbs lingered on Ino even as Kenji began to introduce Sakura.

"You have interesting eyes," Nori murmured quietly to Ino before he turned to greet Sakura.

Ino lingered near the back of the group as they started the journey to the city. The blonde allowed her mind to wander as she stole glances at Nori, knowing that she was safe in this large group. She would have loved to stay in the city longer and get to know Nori better, but it wouldn't be wise to linger. If someone could connect her to the Amayata family, then…

She could leave now. The mission was complete and they couldn't force her to stay. Ino slowed her breathing, forcing herself to think clearly. She couldn't leave Sakura though. The mission was almost over. She would stay here for one day longer.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Doesn't own Naruto.

* * *

Paths

* * *

"I would like to thank you for escorting my son safely back home," the daimyo said from across the polished wood table. Though his voice was warm, the daimyo's deep blue eyes were appraising as he gazed over Ino and Sakura. 

Sakura and Ino bowed politely. As Ino raised her head, the blonde took in the room. Tall vases with intricate designs were placed along the walls of the room. Paintings, lined with gold frames were decorated across the walls. Even the furniture spoke volumes of the richness of the household. Carvings of dragons and phoenixes decorated the surface of the furniture. The blonde longed to explore the mansion and run her slim fingers over the designs of the architecture and pieces of art. Every girl would do anything to live in a place like this… Well, any girl except Sakura, Ino noted as she surveyed the unfazed kunoichi by her side.

Ino gazed down at her worn clothing and wondered if the daimyo had noticed the state of her attire. Not that it mattered that much, since she was going to leave straight afterwards and will probably never ever see him again, but Ino preferred to keep a good image of herself.

"I have made a request to the Hokage that you two stay until the end of the flower festival," the daimyo continued. The man drew a piece of folded paper from underneath the table and handed it across to the two kunoichi. "She has accepted that request and asked me to give this message to Miss Yamanaka."

Ino didn't move to accept the note. Sakura frowned and nervously gave her friend a small nudge. The blonde ninja blinked and turned to look at Sakura, though her eyes still seemed unfocused. She had discussed the issue with the Hokage, so why is she making her stay? Hundreds of explanations raced through her mind followed by hundreds of scenes in which the daimyo's guards were chasing her after. She furrowed her brow as she turned part of her attention on to Sakura. Sakura nodded towards the note, which Ino accepted after some hesitation.

The daimyo cleared his throat before continuing.

"I have provided rooms for you," he said. A young woman with silvery hair appeared beside the daimyo. "Amaya will take you to your rooms."

Ino and Sakura bowed once again before exiting the room.

The blonde gazed quizzically down at the note in her hands.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

Ino simply shook her head and forced a smile.

"I was just thinking about what a drag it would be to stay here."

Sakura hid her amusement of how much Ino sounded like a certain black haired teammate just then. Perhaps Shikarmaru's personality was beginning to rub off on Ino, Sakura thought, slightly bemused at her conclusion.

"I don't see the problem with that. The flower festival sounds interesting, plus you love flowers," Sakura said as she rubbed her chin. "Besides, it seems like you're interested in that Nori person."

"Well I just want to go home," Ino replied hotly, feeling slightly irked that Sakura could read her so easily.

The maid paused outside a set of sliding door, indicating that this was where the two kunoichi would stay.

"The daimyo will go over what is expected of you over dinner. When it is time for dinner, a maid will come retrieve you. You are free to explore the mansion but the daimyo's quarters are off limits," the maid said emotionlessly. Her violet eyes were closed as she recited a set of memorized rules to the kunoichi.

Ino nodded curtly after the maid finished talking before heading into the room they had been led to. Sakura followed after thanking the silver-haired woman.

"Wow, this place is wonderful! We're going to have so much fun," Sakura said gleefully as she flopped down on to the oversized bed. She needed a vacation after all. The pink-haired kunoichi bounced for a while before settling down and speculate why Ino was so silent.

The blonde shrugged off her knapsack, dropping it by the bed furthest away from the door and heading into the washroom.

"Hey Ino, what's wrong?" Sakura asked but was answered with a door slammed in her face.

The blonde ninja sighed softly as she leaned against the bathroom wall and slid down to sit on the cold marble floor. She winced as her bare legs touched the icy floor. What was she going to do now? She couldn't leave Sakura. The daimyo didn't seem to have made a connection with her and her great-grandfather. Was she safe then? Gazing down at the note from the Hokage, Ino slowly unfolded it.

I know that you do not want to stay in the village, but the daimyo offered a huge sum of money for you and Sakura to guard his son. Good luck.

_Tsunade _

Ino groaned and buried her head in hands. Closing her eyes, Ino considered her situation. It couldn't be that bad. All her great-grandfather did was break a promise to one of the former daimyos and gotten himself and his family banned him from ever entering the Land of Honey ever again. They probably don't even remember it. Even if they did, what could they do to her? Once again, images of guards chasing after her flooded her mind.

It really couldn't be that bad, Ino convinced herself once again. She was a kunoichi. A couple of guards can't scare her. Plus, if they needed her and Sakura to guard Kenji, it meant that they didn't have a lot of warriors or that they weren't very good. Ino's mind drifted to Nori. He and his squad of warriors seemed well trained and capable of defending themselves. Ino had seen that first-handedly when they were escorted to the village –the way the camps were set up, the pace of the warriors, and the organization, all indicated that the warriors were well trained. So Ino concluded that they were short on people. The daimyo probably wouldn't ask his warriors to go hunting for her over something her grandfather did then. Especially since it sounded like he needed his men to attend to other matters during the festival. She'll stay on the safe side though and refrain from using her family's jutsu. Having reached this conclusion, Ino felt the worry she had felt since the beginning of the journey lift away from her mind.

Rising to her feet, Ino walked over to the bathtub and gave the gold colored taps a small twist. Warm water burst out of the facet, slowly filling the tub. If she was going to stay here, she was going to enjoy herself.

* * *

Sakura grumbled angrily as she unpacked her clothes. When Ino came out of that washroom, there was going to be a lot of yelling from her. Sakura was even temped to knock down the washroom door but resisted seeing that she didn't want to damage something so expensive. Which also lead to the thought of how polite it would be as guests if she did start a yelling contest with Ino. Sakura pushed that thought aside quickly, her anger not yet quenched. 

"Stupid Ino," Sakura grumbled. No one could slam a door in her face and get away with it, Inner Sakura roared –even if it was Ino. Sakura spun around as she heard the washroom door swing open and was about to start a barrage of yelling but was met with a white blouse being thrown to her.

Sakura picked the garment up, looking quite confused. She was tempted to yell at Ino but curiosity overcame her anger.

"What is this?"

"We can't eat with the daimyo looking like this," Ino replied, her turquoise eyes sparkling with excitment. She approached Sakura examining her from hear to toe.

"Do you mind?" Sakura asked, feeling highly uncomfortable under Ino's inspection.

Ino simply waved her outburst aside. The frown that graced Ino's features told Sakura that what was coming up next couldn't be good for her.

"I'm going to dress you up," Ino declared.

Sakura protested at first saying that she could dress herself up but Ino could be very persistent. Which was how Sakura found herself decorated with many of Ino's accessories an hour later. Which also made Sakura wonder why Ino had brought so many accessories on a mission like this. Not that Sakura minded, after all she didn't want to look like she been dragged trough a forest while sitting with the daimyo. The blonde later explained that she had neglected to unpack after a previous mission which she felt _did_ require lots of accessories and dresses. Sakura smiled reminiscently as she fingered one of Ino's hairpins. Her friend used to dress her up when they were younger. Before they began to fight over Sasuke –Before she had surrendered their friendship.

Sakura's hand fluttered down to her side as she gazed at Ino out of the corner of her eye. She didn't know if it was her friend's posture or giddy smile, but Ino appeared to have relaxed a lot more since the beginning of the journey. Ino's loose blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, drifting over the light sundress she wore. The cause of her giddy smile appeared to be Nori, who was seated from across the table listening to the daimyo go over the events of the flower festival.

Sakura shifted her legs, which felt like they were going to fall off after half an hour of kneeling. Apparently the daimyo was very traditional and only had low tables in his house. Either Ino was too busy to drool over Nori to notice or she was better at kneeling on tatami mats than Sakura. Deciding that she had better things to do that watch Ino ogle Nori and that one of them should at least listen to what the daimyo was saying to his soldiers, her attention slowly slid back to the man. His explanations were more directed to Nori and the other team captains than Ino and herself however Sakura still felt inclined to listen. The information might come in useful if anything did happen after all. Her emerald eyes drifted over to the map of the village, as the daimyo pointed to various locations. Sakura mentally groaned as her leg twitched. She had a horrible feeling that she wouldn't be able to get up any time soon.

* * *

Sakura sighed with relief as they were finally permitted to leave to dining room. Hoping that she didn't look wobbly as she made her way across the room, Sakura breathed in the refreshing scent of the night air as she stepped on to the raised path that stood over the artificial pond outside the dining room. Cool night breezes caressed her hair as she leaned against the railing while waiting for her legs to regain feeling. 

The rest of the dinner guests exited the building, walking past Sakura toward their own destinations until Sakura was one of the only people remaining. The pink kunoichi turned her head slightly in puzzlement as her client approached her.

"Sorry about dinner. Father tends to be very detailed when dealing with plans," Kenji apologized as he approached Sakura. His eyes lay on the kunoichi for a moment before drifting out to gaze at the pond. "And seeing that this annual festival is a week long, a lot of planning had to take place."

"It's okay," Sakura replied with a wince as she turned away from Kenji. Sakura winced again as she tried to move her leg and wished that she had knowledge of how to rid herself of the stinging sensation. It wasn't that she wasn't used to sitting at long boring meetings --after all, she was the Hokage's student. What bothered her was the fact that the daimyo had never heard of chairs. Taking a deep breath, Sakura asked Kenji what Ino and herself would be doing tomorrow.

"We'll be heading out at nine to announce the opening of the festival," Kenji replied. The cinnamon haired man sighed as he leaned against the railing as well. Warm honey orbs followed the Koi that drifted lazily in the pond. "It's interesting how this festival celebrates the freedom we gained and yet also represents the chains that still hold us."

Seeing the puzzled and worried expression on Sakura's face, Kenji shook his head. "It's a long story and I'm sure I won't do it justice if I tell it to you."

Kenji forced a smile on to his face. "You shouldn't worry about it that much. Your job isn't to learn the village's entire history after all."

Sakura nodded though her mind lingered on what Kenji said. Her thoughtful emerald orbs hovered over Kenji's face before fluttering back towards the direction of the pond. Her pink lips frowned softly as she mulled over Kenji's bitter expression; the kunoichi made a mental note to dig up some background information on the festival later on. Meanwhile, she and Kenji silently admired the garden not caring much as time trickled by.

"It's getting late, and my legs aren't feeling like they're going to fall off anymore so I should get going," Sakura finally said as she drew back from the railing.

Kenji chuckled in amusement.

"I didn't know it bothered you that much," he admitted, his eyes sparkling. "Next time I'll see if I can convince father to let you off."

Sakura winced at the words "next time".

"Yes, please do," she replied hoarsely.

* * *

Leaning back into the light, fluffy pillow, Ino stared thoughtfully up at the snow-white ceiling, contemplating about the evening. Her lips twitched, itching to form a smile as her thoughts wondered to the certain dark haired man that had been sitting across from her. Everything about him… seemed so perfect. His posture, his smile, his voice… 

Sighing, Ino rolled over on to her stomach and placed her cheek on the soft pillow. If only Nori didn't live in the Land of Honey. Thought the risk of being here wasn't as high as she originally thought it had been, Ino still wasn't willing to stay any longer than she should in this village. The blonde lightly drew circles on her mattress as she thought wistfully of kidnapping the man and brining him home with her. It could work. Ever since Sasuke had left the village, she hadn't had her eyes set on any other man. She couldn't let another man escape from her grasps.

A light knock on the door interrupted Ino's thoughts.

Slightly irritated that her daydreams had been interrupted, Ino called out, "It's not locked billboard brow."

Ino rolled her eyes as she heard the door slowly slide open and footsteps tread into the room. The blonde frowned softly as a new thought came across her mind. Did Sakura have feelings for Nori as well? After all, they both had the same feelings for Sasuke –as well as the rest of the female population of the village. She wasn't going to let Sakura hog Nori as she did Sasuke. Ino was going to be one step ahead.

"Oi, Sakura, what do you think of Nori?" Ino asked aloud as she twirled a lock of blonde hair around a finger. Hearing no reply, Ino continued. "I know you think he's hot, but I'm not letting you hog him this time."

The blonde looked up in surprise as she heard a light cough from the door. Turquoise orbs met deep gray orbs. If she had been on a chair or was standing, Ino was sure she would have fallen ungracefully down onto the floor.

"N-Nori?"

Said man nodded, stepping into the room with an amused expression on his face.

"Miss Yamanaka," he replied smoothly. The corners of his lips twitched slightly as he fought to keep his face expressionless.

"I'm so sorry," Ino apologized profusely as she scrambled off the bed and walked over to the door to greet the guest. "I thought you were my roommate."

"Ah…" Nori nodded politely as he examined the room. His deep gray eyes shone softly as he took in every detail of the room. Power radiated off the young man in waves as he stood confidently in the middle of the room. As he moved his head, Ino noticed a few locks of raven-black hair fall over his eyes. After sweeping said locks aside, his dark eyes settled on Ino. "So, your roommate thinks I'm hot?"

"Um…" Ino blushed deeply, silently cursing her horrible luck. The blonde could have sworn that her face was hot enough to melt an iceberg. Her turquoise eyes shifted from Nori to the wall behind him, while she thought quickly for an answer.

Nori simply looked amused as he examined the blonde.

"It's okay, I won't tell her that you told me that," he said as he stepped towards Ino. He placed a finger under Ino's chin, tilting the blonde's head up. "I have to admit though, that I'm far more interested in you than your friend."

If Ino's legs weren't feeling so numb, she was sure she would have leaped ten feet into the air in surprise.

Smiling, Nori drew back his hand and stepped back.

"Ah, did you want something?" Ino finally asked, forcing a smile on to her face.

"I simply wanted to invite you to train with me tomorrow. I've heard some interesting stories about your skills from Kenji."

"Oh…" Ino looked slightly thoughtful at this, though there was still a tinge of pink on her cheeks. She was glad though, that she had finally managed to regain her cool. She would love to train with Nori but she still had a mission to attend to. It wouldn't be fair of her if she just left Sakura to guard Kenji. "I have to guard Kenji throughout the day tomorrow though."

Nori raised an eyebrow. "So you were listening during the meeting."

Ino fought to hide her blush, realizing that Nori had caught her staring at him during the meeting. However she managed to reply evenly, "Yes, I was paying attention during the meeting."

"I have duties as well during the day," Nori nodded. "If you aren't too tired after your duties, you can meet me at the courtyard."

Ino raised an eyebrow and managed a small smirk. Nori thought too lowly of her. "I'll see you there then."

After Nori had exited the room, Ino sunk on to the floor. His entrance had been surprising but she had managed to keep as cool as well as any other girl in her situation could have done, especially after such an embarrassing start to the conversation. A smile danced across Ino's lips. She was looking forward to tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Sorry about the late update. Enjoy!

* * *

Realizations

* * *

"A tradition carried down from our ancestors, the Flower Festival is an important part of the history of this village…"

Dressed in flowing, sky-blue silk robes, the daimyo raised his hands, addressing everyone gathered around the large stage. Despite the scorching heat that was enough to bring sweat to Sakura's forehead even though she was wearing a skirt and a sleeveless top, the daimyo seemed oddly cool and composed under his many layers of silk cloth. Even after what seemed to be an hour of talking, the daimyo continued with his speech with as much elegance as he had started.

"… we will continue the traditions as our ancestors had done…"

Sakura desperately wanted the daimyo to finish his speech but judging from the detail he went in last night and from what Kenji had told her about the daimyo, the pink haired shinobi knew that the speech was going to go on… and on. Ignoring Inner Sakura's roaring protests, Sakura kept an ear open while trying to gather more information on the village. Gathering information on her surroundings became something automatic to Sakura after all the training sessions with the Hokage; as a medic-nin, it was important to evaluate situations to prevent further injuries to teammates and yourself and catch potential hazards.

From beside Kenji, Sakura discreetly gazed around the daimyo's back and out at the crowd on the streets. Despite the scorching weather, the street was packed with villagers of various ages –from the elderly to young children who probably didn't understand the meaning of the festival.

The crowd was dressed in bright and eye-catching colors, making Sakura think that Naruto would fit in quite nicely in this village with his orange jumpsuit. Holding back a nostalgic smile, Sakura continued to observe the crowd.

The clothing the villagers wore was quite different from her village. Ribbons and flowing sashes decorated many bright and lively colored outfits. Sakura wondered briefly if the villagers had dressed up for the event or usually wore such beautiful outfits. Looking at the condition of the village, Sakura concluded that the place was very prosperous and the villages could indeed afford such extravagant outfits. Beautiful strings of bright flowers were strewn across the entire street like birthday streamers, and decorated the edge of the roofs that lined the streets. Despite the bright and festive setting, there was a sense of tenseness in the atmosphere.

"… Princess of the Flower Festival…"

The pink haired kunoichi turned her gaze to Kenji, who was dressed simply but neatly in a white, cotton tunic that reached down to his thighs and beige colored pants. The collar and sleeves of the tunic were lined with an ocean-blue colored material, which matched the sash that Kenji had tied around his waist. The young man was focused on his father, his brow furrowed.

Kenji had told her that this festival marked the freedom the village had gained. Perhaps the answer behind the heavy atmosphere was from _what_ did they escape?

Sakura blinked as the crowd started to applaud. Focusing on the daimyo once again, Sakura politely joined in the thunderous applause. The daimyo sauntered off the stage, escorted by a pair of ninja. Kenji's older brother, Ichirou, followed, also escorted by men dressed in ninja gear.

"Do you really expect trouble during the festival?" Sakura quietly asked Kenji as she followed him off the stage. She remembered that during the meeting last night, the daimyo had mentioned the potential of visitors from other villages to attack the prosperous but small village.

Kenji furrowed his brow as he continued walking.

"It would be best to expect anything," Kenji replied, with a small smile.

Running a hand through his locks of cinnamon brown hair, Kenji turned to look thoughtfully down at Sakura. "Try your best to enjoy the festival. There are many dances and performances set up today."

Seeing Sakura open her mouth to question him again, Kenji shook his head slowly. The look he gave the pink haired kunoichi told her to drop the subject for the moment.

The pink haired ninja frowned but decided she would ask Kenji for details later. Sakura wasn't quite ready to stand idly by without solving the question of what threat was bothering Kenji so much.

As the three stood by the street corner, shaded by a particularly large shop, Sakura observed numerous people rushing past them to prepare for their performances. Sakura's eyes were thoughtful as she watched the performers hurriedly set up. Even though they risked delaying their performances, the villagers had still gone to listen to the daimyo's speech. The dedication the villagers had to their leader was admirable.

As they continued walking, villagers stopped to greet Kenji while others gave him a quick wave. Kenji also stopped to ask how some of the villagers were doing. Chatter and laughter slowly filled the once quiet streets.

The group stopped when they approached a wide street with vividly colored ribbons and flowers strung above. The sides of the street were lined with stands, small stages and various other displays. Music drifted out from the arch marking the entrance to the street.

"Let's take a look around, shall we?"

"Come to think of it," Ino suddenly said as she placed an elegant finger under her chin. "You haven't showed us around the village yet. I want to take a look at the shops."

Her finger still on her chin, Ino's eyes glinted brightly as her turquoise orbs focused slyly on Sakura.

"Someone still owes me some hair products."

Kenji laughed as the medic-nin rolled her eyes, claiming that the blond thought too much about her appearance.

"What do you know billboard brow?" Ino snapped.

"More than you do Ino-pig!" retorted Sakura, her emerald eyes blazing.

Both kunoichi glared at each other, their eyes flashing dangerously. Kenji being in the middle of the two kunoichi, stepped back, in order to avoid being fried by the heated glares of his two protectors.

"Now look what you did forehead girl! You scared away Kenji!" Ino shouted, pointing at Kenji.

"I did not! You are the one who started this!" Sakura accused, jabbing her own finger at Ino.

Kenji nervously shifted from his position a few feet away from the girls. Perhaps he should stop the argument before it escalated. Then again, it appeared as if the two enjoyed their arguments. However, they were ruining the mood to the festival. The young man fidgeted. In the end, he decided that it was best for him to end the argument. Unsure of how to resolve the argument, Kenji tried interrupting the two kunoichi.

"Um, Ino…"

"Why are you always like this Ino?" Sakura growled in frustration. "Stop picking fights with me!"

"Sakura, could you—"

"I'm not the one picking fights with you! You're the one picking fights with me!"

"Could the both of you please…"

"Keep out of this Kenji!" the two females shouted.

"Um… alright," the young man mumbled, trying his best to ignore the crowd of chattering villagers that had gathered around them.

Scowling, both kunoichi turned away from one another.

Ino stood there, fuming at Sakura and herself.

No matter how hard she tried, Ino couldn't forget the fact that Sakura had left her for a boy. Though they were too young to really take boys seriously when they were friends, Ino was sure that the idea that no boy could ruin their friendship had applied to them. She knew about Sakura's crush on Sasuke and chose not to say a thing, fearing that it would ruin their friendship. Sakura, on the other hand, kicked her aside as soon as she found out about Ino's infatuation with Sasuke. Despite past betrayals, Ino really did want to be Sakura's friend again. Laughing at how idiotic she was to try and regain their friendship only to have everything fall apart once again because of her own lack of trust, Ino shook her head.

"I'll still buy you the hair products though," Sakura finally said.

"You better," Ino finally replied automatically.

Sighing with relief, Kenji hid his smile as he gazed at the two kunoichi in front of him. They seemed so close –in a way where they could understand each other without missing a beat—and yet, so far apart. .

"Alright, I'll give you a tour as we visit the displays," Kenji agreed, offering a small smile. "Most of the shops are currently closed, but I'm sure we'll be able to find something in the stands. We get lots of visitors during this period and so the villagers are offered an opportunity to make profit."

Kenji nodded towards the numerous villagers setting up stalls and displays around the street.

"Our village is actually quite modest, so don't expect too much. I'm sure we have acceptable hair products though."

Pausing by the first stand, Ino found a small puppet stand. Young children were sitting cross-legged on the ground, watching in complete awe as the puppeteer brought the puppets to life. Continuing along, the group passed by dancers, musicians, magicians and various other types of performers.

Particularly interested in one of the tricks a magician was performing –where the young woman promised to make the bunny in her hand disappear—Sakura pleaded for Ino and Kenji to stop and watch.

"I don't see how that would work," Sakura insisted as she eyed the bunny in the magician's hand closely.

"I see those tricks all the time," Ino said as she eyed the magician. "It's really not that special."

Sakura simply waved Ino's comment aside as she stood transfixed.

"Just don't go wonder too far."

Ino crossed her arms over her chest, slightly annoyed with Sakura. However Ino's eyes softened softly as she watched the childlike expression on Sakura's face. Sakura was always composed and focused on improving herself. Everyday in Konoha, Sakura would be training with the Hokage just so that her chances of brining Sasuke back would improve. Ino supposed that Sakura needed a break, if only for a while.

Ino eyed the childlike expression on Sakura's face for a moment, remembering the last time she had seen those eyes. It has been so long and the two of them had traveled so far apart. Closing her eyes, Ino shook her head angrily and turned away from Sakura.

"Come on Kenji, let's take a look at some other performances."

Nodding, the young man told Sakura that they were going to look around. Sakura nodded absentmindedly as she continued to gape at the musician. Elegantly maneuvering out of the crowd, Ino gazed thoughtfully up and down the street.

"Oh, Kenji! I didn't expect to find you here!"

Turning around, Ino discovered a young woman that was perhaps a few years older than her. Long black hair cascaded down her back and framed her midnight-blue eyes. A simple white cotton dress hung elegantly on her shoulders and hugged her shapely body. Ruby-red ribbons were woven elegantly into the woman's black hair, matching the long red sash tied around her waist.

"Ah… it's good to see you Sora," Kenji replied warmly.

"It's nice to see you as well," the young woman replied after giving a slight bow. Her plum-colored lips formed a beautiful smile as she raised her head and gestured to their surroundings. "The villagers are so dedicated to our village aren't they? Every year, they give such a wonderful display… Ah, sorry, I'm rambling aren't I? I'm actually looking for Nori. Have you seen him?"

"I'm afraid I haven't."

"Well… thank you anyway. It was nice talking to you again Kenji," Sora replied after giving another short bow.

After watching Sora leave, Ino turned sourly to Kenji.

"Why do you think she was looking for Nori?" Ino questioned.

"Why do you want to know?" Kenji asked with a raised eyebrow. Seeing Ino's glare, Kenji chuckled and shrugged. "I think Sora has had feelings for Nori for quite awhile but… Nori doesn't seem to care for her the same way she does. A relationship wouldn't have worked out anyway."

"Why do you say that?" Ino prodded curiously. Her earlier anger had faded away and was now replaced with smugness.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you any more than I've already had," Kenji said firmly.

"Fine," Ino replied, eyeing Sora's back as she walked away. "She's not that pretty anyway."

"I think she's fairly attractive," Kenji replied thoughtfully.

"She wears ribbons in her hair," Ino said distastefully.

"Ribbons are nice. In fact, lots of villagers here wear ribbons –whether in their hair or woven into their garments."

Grinding her teeth, Ino tried to find something else about the woman to pick on.

"She wears a sash. I don't like it."

"I'm wearing a sash," Kenji replied with a raised eyebrow. Kenji pointed out that almost everyone in the village wore sashes. "It might be different from what you're used to, but I think the way our village dresses is unique and beautiful."

"Do you think Nori likes ribbons and sashes?" Ino questioned as her eyes landed on a stall that displayed a rainbow of ribbons. Hundreds of ribbons that were hung over the table on lines of strings that were tied to poles on each end of the table fluttered as a small breeze danced through the street.

"I don't think you should worry about what others think of you so much," Kenji commented quietly.

"Then what's the point of looking good?" Ino questioned as she set off proudly towards the ribbon stand –with Kenji in tow, that is. To her surprise, Kenji didn't complain about how troublesome she was like Shikamaru did whenever she asked him to shop with her. Grinning widely at finally having found a good shopping companion, Ino barged right into the crowded street.

Expertly maneuvering through the crowd without losing Kenji, Ino finally made if across the street to the front of the stand.

"Let's see," Ino giggled as she rubbed her chin. "Which one do you think Nori would like?"

Kenji sighed softly, disappointed that the blonde hadn't taken in a word he had said.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Why don't you choose one you like?"

Ino sighed, looking slightly annoyed at having to explain to Kenji all over again.

"What's your favorite color?" Kenji asked suddenly, interrupting the blonde.

Frowning deeply, Ino replied that she liked purple.

"Hm…" Kenji murmured as he leafed through the ribbons laid on the table and strewn over strings that hung over the table. "We don't usually make dark colored fabrics since they absorb heat but…"

"But Kenji…"

"You bought the purple outfit you're wearing because you like it, correct?" Kenji questioned. "The bandages tied around your waist and the arm warmers –you like them don't you?"

"Yes, _but_…"

Ino sighed in exasperation.

"Kenji, I want to impress Nori!"

The young man paused, blinking at Ino with a flabbergasted expression.

"But you won't be staying in this village for that long," Kenji commented after a moment.

Ino nodded but wasn't swayed by Kenji's argument.

"He seems interesting," Ino explained as she reached forward to look for a ribbon herself. The blonde faltered as she came across a familiar looking, wide, red ribbon. Ino's eyes lingered on the red ribbon which eerily resembled the one she had given to Sakura a long time ago. Tearing her eyes away, Ino smiled confidently at Kenji. "I want to get to know him better!"

"But… if you want to know Nori better, I think you should give him the chance to know the real you as well," Kenji replied firmly. "If you don't like ribbons, don't force yourself to wear them."

"I actually do like ribbons. I used to have a huge collection when I was younger…"

"Used to?" Kenji asked curiously.

"Well, that is until Sakura… Until Sakura started wearing ribbons," Ino said. _And announced that she didn't want to be friends with her anymore_, Ino mentally added. "I wasn't going to wear something that she wore!"

"How about this one?" Kenji announced as he picked out a thin, deep purple ribbon with black, diamond shaped, glass beads that hung from both ends of the piece of cloth.

Ino paused, gazing pensively at the ribbon.

"I guess it's nice," the blonde finally admitted as she reached out and touched the soft ribbon. After another thoughtful glance, Ino told the stall keeper that she would buy that ribbon.

Reaching into the pouch that hung around her waist, Ino searched for her coin purse. The blond frowned softly as she looked down and only spotted her shuriken in the pouch.

"I could buy the ribbon for you," Kenji offered kindly, reaching for his wallet.

"But… I could have sworn that I brought my money pouch with me!"

"Uh oh…"

Turning around, Ino found Kenji searching his pockets for his wallet as well. Frowning, Ino spun around to face the crowd, realization hitting her like a bullet. How could she have been so careless? How could she have not felt anything when they were robbed? The thief could be anywhere!

Trying to think clearly, Ino decided that the pickpocket couldn't have fooled two ninja so the thief must have stolen their belongings after they were separated from Sakura. Gazing at the crowded street, Ino felt a headache coming on.

"Looking for these?" a voice asked.

Turning around, Ino found Nori walking casually towards her with her coin purse and what must have been Kenji's wallet in his hand. The man had his black hair tied back today, and wore a light colored shirt with a green vest overtop and a pair of khaki colored pants.

"During this period of time, lots of pickpockets roam the streets, looking for careless people," Nori commented with a frown as he handed Ino her pouch back. "We explained that during the meeting last night."

A slight blush colored Ino's cheeks as she retrieved her pouch and nodded tersely at Nori.

"Watch out next time," Nori instructed curtly. He eyed Ino for a moment before turning to face Kenji. "Are you alright Lord Kenji?"

"I'm fine, and you shouldn't be so harsh on Ino. I told her to enjoy herself today."

"Her job is to protect you… and as a ninja, I thought that she would have been able to handle any situation that came up even if she didn't pay attention to any instructions last night," Nori said sharply.

Ino felt hurt at Nori's comment. This wasn't supposed to happen! Nori was supposed to be impressed by her, not disappointed. She knew that her performance today was lacking but it was only one small mistake.

_And one small mistake could cost you the mission. _Her sensei's words echoed through Ino's mind but the blonde forced the echoing words away. Fine, she messed up and Nori was displeased. It won't happen again. She'll let Nori's comments pass, just like she did with Sasuke's hurtful rejections all those years ago.

"I guess I thought wrong about the ninja from the leaf village… and I was so interested in getting to know about them."

Another jab of pain shot through Ino but pride and loyalty kept Ino from letting Nori's comment slide again. Nori couldn't insult the ninja from her village and get away from it. He didn't know about Shikamaru who had an IQ higher than anybody Ino knew about; he didn't know about Chouji who practiced endlessly to be just as strong as the other ninja in the village –Nori had no right to insult her friends like he just did.

"Take that back," Ino shouted, her turquoise eyes blazing. "I admit that I messed up today, but that doesn't give you the right to insult the other ninja from my village!"

"Hn." Nori looked thoughtful as he gazed down at the fuming Ino. "We'll see later on in the courtyard. That is… if you still want to come."

The young man turned around, ready to leave.

"Oh, by the way, my favorite color is ruby-red… I doubt that it would match you though."

For the rest of the day, Ino was in a terrible mood. Not even the hair products that Sakura bought her could cheer her up. The scorching heat wasn't helping either. By the end of the day, Ino was ready to explode at anyone who approached her.

How could Nori be so rude to her? No one got away with talking to her like that except her teammates. Even if her teammates scolded her like Nori had, they probably wouldn't have gotten away without a scratch either. The more she thought about it, the angrier Ino became.

Sasuke never insulted her and he was ten times better looking than Nori. In fact, she didn't think that Nori was that hot in the first place!

After her duties of guarding Kenji were finished, Ino stormed to the courtyard in search of Nori. Just like he had promised the night before, the man was training alone in the courtyard.

Trees surrounded the square-shaped area, with a giant oak tree planted in the middle. Stone benches were placed strategically around the yard with some potted plants placed beside them.

The black-haired man was leaning calmly against the large oak tree, twirling a knife in his hands. Upon hearing Ino's footsteps, the man turned to face the blonde. His gray eyes shimmered with amusement as noticed Ino's balled fists.

"I demand that you apologize for insulting all my friends," Ino demanded angrily.

Raising an eyebrow, Nori threw the blade in Ino's direction. In a flash, the blade had embedded itself in the wall beside Ino's head.

"If you are able to defeat me without using any jutsu, then I'll reconsider what I had said."

"Done," Ino said as she nimbly leaped towards Nori, a kunai in her hand. "You think too lowly of us ninja!"

In a flash, Nori was gone. Landing softly on her feet, Ino spun around, her shoes flinging dirt in the air, to try to find the black-haired man. Narrowing her eyes, Ino scanned the trees that surrounded the yard. The man was gone. Fast. Ino had to admit that Nori was incredibly fast.

"It looks like you think too highly of yourself," Nori's voice taunted, his voice echoing around her.

Ino's grip on her kunai tightened. She wasn't going to lose to Nori. Feeling something rustle behind her, Ino quickly spun around in time to block Nori's blade with her kunai.

Sweat gathered on Ino's forehead as she tried to think up of a strategy. Where was that lazy Shikamaru when you needed him?

"Is that all you can do?" Nori questioned with a smirk as he used his weight to press down on her kunai.

Grunting, Ino admitted that Choji's help right now wouldn't have been bad either. Furrowing her brow, Ino clumsily gathered chakra at her feet. She could defeat Nori without her teammates though.

"Just watch what I can do!"

Without missing a beat, Ino drew back so that Nori stumbled forward and took a swipe at his chest with her kunai. Unfortunately for her, she discovered that Nori was very flexible as well as fast and was met with nothing but air once again.

"Damn."

Pushing charka into her feet again, Ino sprung back. Though her charka control wasn't as good as Sakura's, the blonde still managed to do what she needed to with her charka. Flipping through the air, Ino landed roughly on a tree branch.

Where was he? Ino furrowed her brow as she peered through the thick leaves of the tree branch. Nori really thought too lowly of her if he had chosen to hide in the trees as part of his strategy. Didn't he know that she was used to fighting in areas with heavy foliage?

Hearing something rustle to her right, Ino started silently heading in that direction. Tree branches flashed past as she nimbly maneuvered through the trees. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Victory was at hand.

Landing expertly on the branch that she had heard the loud rustle from, Ino was surprised to find nothing. That was impossible. Nori couldn't have moved in that period of time without her noticing. Realizing that she had fallen for his decoy, Ino cursed and tried to move but found a knife blade pressed against her neck.

The blonde's heart sunk as she felt the cool metal blade press against her neck. She had lost? Ino closed her eyes, feeling oddly empty as she felt Nori's warm breath on her neck.

"You lose," Nori whispered quietly as he withdrew his blade.

Gracefully hopping off the tree branch, Nori strode over to a bench.

"That was too easy. I guess I was right after all, ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village are useless."

Ino watched speechlessly as Nori walked arrogantly away from her, the reality of her loss slowly sinking in. The blonde tightened her grip around her kunai. How could she have lost to a normal person like him? How could she let him get away with insulting her village? Anger and bitterness welled up in Ino's chest as she helplessly watched Nori leave.

"I'm afraid that you'll have to take that back," a familiar voice said clearly from across the yard.

Nori raised his eyebrow as Sakura walked into the courtyard with a displeased expression on her face. Loosening her grip on her kunai, Ino quietly watched as Sakura rubbed her knuckles.

"You leaf ninja sure are touchy," Nori commented lightly.

"We just don't appreciate you insulting us," Sakura replied with a grim smile on her face. Her emerald eyes were calculating as she eyed Nori. Then with a smirk, Sakura threw her gloves aside and quickly approached Nori, using charka to increase her speed.

The black-haired man appeared surprised as Sakura charged towards him but he easily dodged her punch and leaped into a tree. In a flash a dozen shuriken were imbedded in the trunk of the tree where Nori had previously been. However, Nori didn't escape without any scratches.

Ino noted with amazement that there were a few tears on Nori's vest and pants. The blonde turned to look at Sakura who had a confident smile on her lips. Since when did Sakura get so fast?

A dozen knives came rippling through the air at Sakura but the pink-haired ninja managed to dodged the knives and even threw a few back at Nori. Both opponents barely needed anytime to recover. In an instant, two more knives were in Nori's hands while Sakura started her next attack.

With another charka-assisted leap, Sakura was on the same tree branch as Nori. Ino bit her lip as she watched the two maneuver through the branches. She wasn't sure if Sakura's choice of going into close combat with Nori that was a great idea since the man was holding a pair of knives in his hands and seemed quite adept at using them. Then again, Ino knew that battling close combat with Sakura was no easy feat –especially with her super human strength.

Nori's knives effortlessly sliced through the tree branches Sakura had been occupying though always failed to hit the intended target. The blonde watched breathlessly as Sakura easily dodged all of Nori's attacks and sent him flying to the ground with a strong and well-aimed punch.

Nori seemed to have realized the same thing Ino had and decided to keep a fair distance away from Sakura.

"Do you take back what you said now?" Sakura asked as she landed softly on the ground.

"The battle isn't over yet," Nori said with a smirk on his face.

Sakura seemed slightly surprised at his response but the smile on her face told Ino that the pink haired kunoichi was expecting a response similar to the one Nori had just given. Her emerald eyes traveled from Nori's face to the ground in front of the man.

"In that case, I'll try to finish this quickly," Sakura said, her emerald eyes burning brightly.

Gathering charka in her hands, Sakura formed a fist. At that instant, a couple of knives sliced past Sakura, one scratching the pink-haired ninja's leg. Without wincing, Sakura brought her fist down on the ground.

Dirt and rocks erupted around Sakura as a large crack formed in the middle of the courtyard. The entire courtyard rumbled like deep thunder. Ino gritted her teeth as she held onto the trunk of the shaking tree she was currently perched on. The large crack darted forwards like an attacking snake, swallowing Nori whole.

Rubbing her knuckles, Sakura straightened up with a pleased yet thoughtful expression on her face. Taking one last glance at the giant crack, Sakura walked over to a bench and started healing the cut on her leg. The medic-nin didn't appear concerned that Nori might come out of the crack and attack her at all as she focused on her wound. Ino doubted that Nori would attack Sakura though, after her impressive display of strength.

After collecting her gloves, Sakura glanced towards Nori, who was climbing out of the fissure. The man gazed grudgingly at Sakura's creation for a moment before turning to face Sakura.

"Fine, I guess I was… wrong about the leaf ninja."

Ino gazed at what Sakura had done to the courtyard. She knew that she should be happy that Sakura had made Nori apologize for insulting their village but for some reason, Ino felt oddly empty inside.

When they had fought against each other in their first chunin exam, the two of them had exited as equal ninja. Now… Ino wasn't sure where she stood. Was Sakura stronger than her? The blonde closed her eyes.

Sakura was definitely far stronger than her. Ino couldn't understand how her rival had grown so much stronger without her noticing. Ino gazed down at her hands. What had she done in the past year? What had she achieved? Had she improved at all?

Tearing her gaze away from Sakura and Nori, who were currently chatting light-heartedly, Ino quietly leapt backwards off the tree. Exiting the courtyard, Ino angrily wiped a tear from her face. Not only was she humiliated in front of Nori, she was also out performed by Sakura.


End file.
